Archive for May, 2008

It’s been 3 and a half years since I last made a winamp skin, what with iPod being invented, mp3 players on your computer don’t really get used that often (by me at least). But I’ve been getting back in the habit and thought it might be fun to do a Momusu skin. I wanted to do something other than one of the girls against a white background, and when I saw this pic of Aika, it really jumped out at me. So here it is!

For Winamp Classic I guess.

Shuffle and repeat buttons are visible when turned on, EQ and Playlist buttons appear when turned off. The load button is in the vicinity of her left eyebrow. I left it out to try and not cover her face. I had to chuckle at myself when making it. Back in the day images 275 pixels were 1/2 of your monitor resolution, now-a-days that’s incredibly tiny!

I’ve had this on my iPod for a while now, needed something to write about, and decided this was a good idea. I ended up buying it on iTunes as I end up ripping all my CDs to my iPod anyhow, and it’ll take up less space in my room. Plus, it’s supporting Utada here in the States. Win-win!

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Fight the Blues – I was kind of surprised she didn’t open the album with it’s title song. When I first listened to it, I was kind of indifferent to this song, I thought it was too slow to open with. After a while though it won me over. Not my favorite track on here, but Utada’s vocals are, as always, beautiful and soothing, and the hook is really nice. It really does set the tone well.

Heart Station – I am so in love with this song. When the PV was first released I could not stop watching it. When listening to it now I cannot stop myself from lip synching (or if alone, singing along). It’s such a calming song, and invites such a warm feeling. Utada’s vocals and the synthesizer really blend together well. It’s interesting when she speaks English (and I’ve noticed this in interviews as well), her voice is much lower pitched.

Beautiful World – Probably my favorite track on here, probably one of my top 3 favorite Utada songs. I love the lyrics, love the marching quality of it, I love the piano, I love the deep bridge. I freaking love this song.

Gentle Beast Interlude – Not sure this was really necessary, but it sounds nice. It’s a nice transition from Beautiful World to….

Celebrate – Another favorite track from the album. A great dance song, it’s got great bass and a great hook.

Prisoner of Love – I had been hearing all over the place how this the best new track of the album, but once I heard it I was kind of disappointed. I don’t know what I was expecting. It’s since grown on me immensely, and I will include it as one of the best tracks on the album, just not THE best. One of the problems with reading reviews is getting the other person’s opinion implanted within your mind before you even sample it. This sounds like vintage Hikki.

Take 5 – Another favorite song off the album. If I had an anime series, I would so request this was put on the soundtrack somewhere. The only complaint is the abrupt ending. I love the melody though, a very emotional song.

Boku wa Kuma – This is an ADORABLE song, however it feels really strange on here. I tend to skip it as it gets stuck in my head incredibly easily.

Nijiiro Bus – I seem to be prone to loving Utada’s piano featuring songs. I LOVE this song. A very cool feeling to the melody and Utada’s vocals. It strikes me as a feel good rainy day song. I don’t know why. Another one of the top new tracks off this album.

Flavor of Life – Before I bought the album I had only heard the ballad version, which was a bit too slow for me. The regular version though is pretty stellar. I love the chorus. A nice song to end with!

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Overall a terrific album and another strong release from Utada Hikaru. Highly reccomended!